You Jelly? Because Blub's jelly.

Considering it was a single island, Hades Isle really had quite the expansive network. SplashMan was out of the desert, but into some hot furnaces. It was a good thing he didn't have much to burn down there, or else he'd be regretting his short lower limbs about now. "This place is hot! How does a regular, non-Fire Navi even manage in a place like this?"

His operator, however, was in another world, engaging in the wheeling and dealing she'd grown quite capable at. "Yep! Yep! Hmm...sure, why not? ...AquaWhirl? I know my Navi's watery, but that's-huh? Hey, what's going on? ...No, I don't want to accept that trade! Abort! Abort!! ......" The lack of a customary sigh of relief denoted that Sabrina had failed to cancel. Slowly, she sunk to the floor, upon the realization that she just lost a perfectly good chip to a PET glitch. "..." She tried to think of a cleaner word that the one at the tip of her tongue...but after a moment, realized that she wasn't going to, and just let it out. "...Well, shit!"

The uncommon oath from his operator was enough to make the Navi stop his search immediately and bring up a screen of her. "Wh-what happened? You don't-"

"Oh, hey, that Winter Navi has something else up! I bet she'd like AquaWhirl!"

"...Never mind...huh?" The aquatic Navi felt his shoulder being tapped, by something that slightly squished every time it touched him. He looked over to his SP, only to see that they were almost surrounded by viruses. Blub retracted his tentacle back to normal length, then used it to point angrily at the opposing group. One could almost hear him going 'You're all going down!'. "Uh-oh! Sabrina, hate to interrupt your trading, but we've got company!"

"Man, paying for library entries kinda sucks..." ...Company? Oh, right, virus busting. Right, switching to Navi view. "...Oh, is that all?"

"Normally, I'd be with you, but since Blub's the star right now..."

"I know, I know! Keep your pants on!" The Drixol took priority in her book, what with their ability to actually move. "All right, give him these! BattleChip, WideShot2! Double slot in!"

A blue ball of light appeared in each of SplashMan's hands, which he immediately tossed to the jellyfish, who absorbed them. He raised his frontmost tentacle, and suddenly morphed it into...some kind of super soaker with a REALLY wide nozzle. Another arm moved forward, placing it...on the trigger? It wasn't even auto-fire...? If it was, Blub was fooling everyone, as the shots only fired after squeezing the firing mechanism. Two water arcs sailed forward, ready to decimate whatever drill happy squid came between them and their blindly traveling forward.

"Okay, now for the HotHead!" ...Which was going to be more annoying, since only Break was guaranteed to work no matter when they attacked. Not a problem for SplashMan, but for Blub..."I guess we'll just work on them one at a time...BattleChip, Shake3! Slot in!"

Another ball of light appeared in the Navi's hand, and once again he threw it over to his SP...but this time, the latter caught it with one tentacle. It was straightened out with incredible speed (enough that SplashMan wondered if it actually hurt), and pointed straight backward. Like a catapult, the arm came forward, launching the weapon at the...right of the angry looking orange virus? The reason was eventually made obvious as the light ball materialized into a Heaviest virus, who quickly moved to the side, and tried to ram the HotHead.

"And now, let's try to get a little something for ourselves! Not like Blub has much else to do...BattleChip, PickPocket! Slot in!"

A Bandcoon formed in front of SplashMan, who looked around before focusing on the one virus that had been spared in the barrage of water and dumbbells. It scratched its head for a moment, before pulling out a Mettaur helmet from its fur, and placed it on top of its head, before grabbing out a couple of flags and a whistle. "TWEEEEEEET!" As the latter was used, a large hook appeared from the sky, or whatever constituted the sky in a hellacious cave network, and slowly began to descend. The ally virus raised the right flag, but did nothing at first, as it watched it lower...and lower...

"TWEEEEEEEEEET!" Without warning, it blew the whistle again, and made a leftward motion with the flag. The hook's position changed slightly, but continued to lower. As it got into proper position, the whistle was let loose once more, and both flags went up and down, to signal that it was dead on. It continued to descend, and descend...until it went inside the body of the HotHead. The chain connecting the hook to...whatever it was coming from tightened, apparently having snagged something. With another tweet and some flag waving, it rose from the virus, with...something attached to the hook. It was impossible to tell exactly what it was from where the Navi was standing, however. The hook rose, and rose, until it disappeared into the ceiling...wait, what? Where was the stuff?

Click!

A sudden sound caused SplashMan to look back at the Bandcoon, who had placed something that looked exactly like what the hook had grabbed inside an old-fashioned metal lunchbox, and shut it before he could confirm just what it was. The virus tipped its helmet, and vanished, its work done...and all he could do was try to comprehend what he just seen as he prepared in the off chance that one of the viruses tried to target him instead of his jellyfish companion...

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-Send WideShot2 chip to Blub
2-Send WideShot2 chip to Blub
3-Send Shake3 chip to Blub
4-PickPocket chip on HotHeadA (steals reward data from one enemy)
5-Dodge
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-WideShot2 chip attack on DrixolA, DrixolB, an DrixolC (80+10, Aqua, A, Wide Attack)
2-WideShot2 chip attack on DrixolA, DrixolB, an DrixolC (80+10, Aqua, A, Wide Attack)
3-Shake3 chip attack on HotHeadB (130, C, Wide Attack, also hits next turn with half accuracy)]

Two huge waves of water later, and there was arable soil in Hades NET and three less viruses.

The two HotHeads start the battle in a guarded state as Blub unleashes the impressive Shake3. The Shake3 crushes the HotHead, smashing through its defenses and deleting it. The Shake3 stays on the field for another turn.

Finally the lid of the old-fashioned metal lunchbox was opened to reveal... some money.

-Viruses-
DrixolA: DELETED
DrixolB: DELETED
DrixolC: DELETED
HotHeadA: 60HP [Furnace] [Entering Attack Mode]
HotHeadB: DELETED

-Terrain-
15% Soil
25% Coal
30% Furnace [Surrounded by Coal]
30% Normal

-Navis-
SplashMan.EXE: 540HP [Normal]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Normal]
Shake3: 1 Turn Remaining

-PickPocket-
GET: 175z

Woohoo, deleted viruses! Always a welcome sight, even though he had barely lifted a finger for any of it. "Good job, Blub! Just one more!"

"Hey, uh, SplashMan?" Sabrina picked herself off the floor, and faced her PET. "I just thought of something...but, you're not going to like it."

"Huh? What am I not going to like?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious you're going pretty far in the net, so, I was thinking that I could get a couple of those Bookmark subchips, in case you wanna take a break! Plus, the shop has a new chip trader, and I really want to try it out..."

"Uh, what part of this am I not supposed to like?"

"Well, here's the thing. You're a strong Navi. Strong enough that there's nothing in the regular net level you can't beat!"

"...Hold on...are you LEAVING me here?!"

"For a little while. But, you and Blue are tough, so you'll still be going strong, or else my name isn't Sabrina Christine Jetto!"

"...Seriously...?"

"I checked the ferry tables, and the next one leaves soon, so I need to get going. But don't worry, I'll definitely make it before they stop ferry service! Be careful, and don't do anything really stupid, or else viruses are gonna be the least of your worries!" With that, the Netopian girl raced out of the volcano, breathing a little sigh of relief that she was out of that creepy place. And there was the ferry, due to take off in a couple of minutes...but not without her. Awesome.

"But...but...what about the battle we're in the middle of?!" The watery Navi looked dumbfoundedly at the newly blank screen before him, having lost the hard connection between him and the PET. "...Sabrina...all right, no sense feeling sorry for myself! She'll be back, and like she said, I can smash up anything I find here! But, I guess that means Blub needs to hang back a bit, so he doesn't get hurt..." The screen dissipated, and SplashMan took a look at his SP...who launched three tentacles at the HotHead, who appeared to be opening its mouth, in preparation for firing. But as soon as it did...BAM! BAM! BAM! Triple jellyfish slap! Of course, any one of them would be plenty to junkify the virus, but just in case, his right arm assumed a buster shape, and was pointed towards the lone enemy. If Blub somehow failed, he could finish the job himself...with or without the mouth open.

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-Wait for Blub to do his thing
2-Buster shot on HotHeadA (50, Break)
3-Buster shot on HotHeadA (50, Break)
4-Buster shot on HotHeadA (50, Break)
5-Buster shot on HotHeadA (50, Break)
6-Buster shot on HotHeadA (50, Break)]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Attack on HotHeadA (30, Aqua)
2-Attack on HotHeadA (30, Aqua)
3-Attack on HotHeadA (30, Aqua)]

PEW! PEW! PEW!

PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!

The virus was riddled with holes.

-Viruses-
DrixolA: DELETED
DrixolB: DELETED
DrixolC: DELETED
HotHeadA: DELETED
HotHeadB: DELETED

-Terrain-
15% Soil
25% Coal
30% Furnace [Surrounded by Coal]
30% Normal

-Navis-
SplashMan.EXE: 540HP [Normal]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Normal]

~Battle 4: Victory!!~
Rewards: 1400z, 21 BugFrags

And so ended another battle in their favor. SplashMan happily accessed the multiple sources of cash data, as Blub began to absorb some of the other virus remnants into himself. Not too bad for a Normal Net haul. "Hey, Sabrina, how much money do we..." ...Oh, right, she'd rushed off to spend that cash. Well, at least she had more to spend now. "Well, it's just you and me, Blub! It's a big blow, not having Sabrina to help us out, but like she said, nothing's a match for us in a normal level area of the Net, even without BattleChips!"

...That said, this was when something out of the ordinary normally happened. And, bravado aside, he was still a bit nervous about fighting without his operator backing him up. Maybe he'd get lucky, and he wouldn't have to do any battling. But, probably not...

And that was enough negative thinking. He shook his head (or what was considered it) vigorously, getting rid of all that negativity inside it, and marched forward, his faithful jellyfish close at hand. The experiment of just using Blub to fight was over, though: without chips, he was going to have to step in himself now. At least he was pretty sure his SP would understand.

(Searching for Battle #5)

A thunderous screech from the heavens brought SplashMan and Blub to a halt. The far away volcanoes were spewing hot ash into the sky, darkening out the sunlight with heavy black clouds. The surrounding ground-cover was dark volcanic soil, with a few areas of intense heat coming from cracks in the ground where superheated steam poured forth. The cloud cover sparked as lightning raced through, creating veins of bright white and gold. A thunderclap followed just before the sea of clouds parted, revealing a swooping crimson bird as large as a humpback whale, golden crest, and wings alight with roaring flames and crackling electricity. It whooshed overhead, almost bowling over the Navi and his SP in the downdraft of its wings. It circled around again and unfurled its great talons as it began its dive against SplashMan and Blub.

-Boss-
Thunderfire Roc: 500HP [Flying]

-Terrain-
60% Soil
40% Furnace [Scattered]

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 540HP [Soil]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Soil]

~Battle 5: Start!!~

So much nothing...for some reason, he seemed to be getting a lot of that lately. SplashMan took it in stride, though, and marched on. At least it bought time for Sabrina to get back. A lot of time. Eventually, he had to stop for a moment, just to catch a break. "There sure aren't very many viruses or stuff in these parts, huh Blub?" He looked over at his SP, who was looking up rather apprehensively. The Navi took a gander himself, but only saw clouds. "...Those are just ash clouds, Blub. It'd be nice, but I don't think it's gonna rain..."

Naturally, some lightning began to move across them, as if specifically to make the water Navi look bad. "Or maybe it's actually a thunderhead...that's not good for us. Wait, wha...?" If he looked hard enough, he could see a rather large outline in that cloud. It might just be his imagination, but it looked awfully real to him...

And his eyesight proved victorious when an enormous bird flew in to 'greet' them. Hoo boy. This wasn't some garden variety virus, to be sure. "Oh man, that's huge...and Sabrina's not even here to back us up..." ...But, that's why he couldn't be intimidated by the beast's sheer size. He had to take charge of the situation, even if he wasn't really used to it. "Blub, I think you need to stay away from me, so we both don't get zapped. I'll distract it, so you just go and stay alert, just in case!"

The jellyfish peeked out from behind his master, clearly not wanting ANY of a giant sparking bird without the protection of BattleChips. He took a few steps, before looking back at the Navi, who gave him an anxious finger point to make him keep his distance. He complied, but he still seemed to feel a little bad about leaving the Navi behind like that...

However, this gave SplashMan peace of mind, and took a single step forward before pointing angrily at the roc. "C'mon, you big pigeon! Show me what you got!" ...Yeah, his taunting needed work. But, as long as it drew all the (literal AND metaphorical) fire, it was good enough. And even if it wasn't, this would. He quickly began to gather water inside his cannons, built pressure inside them, and...BOOM! Twin water blasts rocketed out of his innate artillery, with enough force to damage steel, and get the attention of giant elemental birds.

And just in case THAT didn't work, his right hand converted into a generic buster gun, which he aimed upward at the combination of flame and electricity, and fired a pair of energy bullets at it. He didn't bother changing it back - he probably wasn't done with shooting it - but instead of continuing to do so, he watched the bird closely in preparation for avoiding its attacks, not wanting to be fried in any sense of the word.

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
0a-Reserve Tank R (passive buster charge)
0b-Reserve Tank R (passive buster charge)
1-Water Splash charge attack on Thunderfire Roc (200, Aqua, Break)
2-Buster shot on Thunderfire Roc (50, Break)
3-Buster shot on Thunderfire Roc (50, Break)
4-Dodge
5-Dodge
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge]

Blub began dodging defensively as SplashMan launched water based attacks against the giant elemental Roc. His first major blast of water struck the Rock full on just before the virus' claws sparked and magnetically pulled SplashMan into its giant talons. SplashMan could see the damage done to the virus, with a good deal of the fire on its wings flickering out and it beginning to breath hard. It didn't seem to take as much damage as if it were only a fire elemental, but it definitely took more damage than if it were just elec elemental. Perhaps it had aspects of both.

Which it probably did because those claws sparked again as SplashMan was electrified. SplashMan felt a part of his code locking up as he pointed his blaster at the virus and let out a few more watery blasts. Only one of the two managed to hit, causing the Roc to drop SplashMan and take to the sky again.

SplashMan began dodging as the virus circled around and let loose three thundering beams from its mouth and claws. One went off harmlessly, striking the ground with a whoomp, while the other two seeked out SplashMan and Blub. Blub managed to dodge his beam, while SplashMan was struck full on, taking another terrible dose of electricity.

-Boss-
Thunderfire Roc: 125HP [Flying]

-Terrain-
60% Soil
40% Furnace [Scattered]

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 240HP [Soil] [Stunned!]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Soil]

"Ugh..." He still wasn't completely sure what it was, but it packed a punch. SplashMan couldn't move his body, so all he could do for the moment was look up at the bird thing. Yeah, it was strong, but that was why he absolutely couldn't flee the scene now. If he let it be, it'd pick apart whatever unfortunate low-level Navis it came across...and he couldn't allow that.

But, while he couldn't move, he could still do things that didn't involve movement. And so, his cannons once again began to rapidly fill, by doing nothing but allow his internal water supply to flow inside them. He just had to wait for the electricity coursing through him to wear off...there! Now he could finally show this...thing, what for. "I can't let you terrorize things any longer, birdbrain! I'm raining on your parade!" ...Wha...? A snappy remark? Sabrina was really rubbing off on him. Not too surprising, but since when did he ever say things like that...? ...Not important right now. What was important was aiming those cannons at the electrical, yet somehow also fiery, bird, activate them, and launch crazy powerful water at it. Like that. It was almost unnerving how he could pull that off so frequently, yet show no signs of it whatsoever.

And now, he wanted to make absolutely sure that this battle didn't drag out. The faster the bird was gone, the faster he (and Blub) wouldn't have to worry about getting zapped. To that end, he aimed his buster hand at the bird, and fired off as many shots as he could muster, to make completely sure that it would be no more. His SP's gaze was also fixed on it, but less for smacking it, and more for knowing which way he could move and live to tell about it...

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-STUNNED
1a-Reserve Tank R (passive buster charge)
1b-Reserve Tank R (passive buster charge)
2-Water Splash charge attack on Thunderfire Roc (200, Aqua, Break)
3-Buster shot on Thunderfire Roc (50, Break)
4-Buster shot on Thunderfire Roc (50, Break)
5-Buster shot on Thunderfire Roc (50, Break)
6-Buster shot on Thunderfire Roc (50, Break)]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge]

The large virus swept down upon SplashMan and Blub, its feathers flaring up and glowing with heat. As the blazing bird dived upon the Navi and his dodging SP, SplashMan blasted it full on with his water cannon. The Roc roared/screeched as the fire without was squelched and it fell from the sky as a darkened meteor. It crashed into the ground nearby, already slowly decompiling.

-Boss-
Thunderfire Roc: DELETED

-Terrain-
60% Soil
40% Furnace [Scattered]

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 240HP [Soil]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Soil]

~Battle 5: Victory!!~
Rewards: PhoenixShot1, 1500z, 25 BugFrags

As the big bad bird finally fell from the sky, SplashMan let out a sigh of relief at the fact he didn't get zapped again. "Phew, that was rough...but at least Hades Area is safe again!" His SP promptly looked at the Navi, as though he was crazy. The latter immediately noticed. "...Uh, I mean, safer..." Still staring. "...You know what I mean! That thing can't destroy weaker Navis now!" The jellyfish crossed a pair of tentacles and nodded, apparently satisfied.

As Blub started to absorb its remains, the Navi walked over and accessed the rest of the data it left behind. "Cash, cool...PhoenixShot? Weird, it didn't use any Fire-type moves...ah well, it makes sense!" And there, all sent to the PET. At the very least, it'd let Sabrina know that he was still around and kicking. "Looks like that's everything. All set, Blub?" Another nod. "Sabrina's not back yet, but we can still take care of ourselves. Let's go!" And so, Navi and SP journeyed on, in search of foes...or non-foes...or semi-foes...whatever, really.

(Searching for Battle #6)

With the threat of the large bird virus dealt with, the surrounding network became a little less overtly hostile, but more dark and degraded. A fire snake with two segments of spiked tail slithers up, probably looking for an easy meal. Seeing the Navi and his SP, it curls up like a rattler, with a segment in front and to one side, and hisses.

Three Whomper spirits also exit from portals to see what the commotion is about, and when they see a strong Navi, they just need to breath fire at it.

And finally a pair of Shadows rise from the ground, drawn to the death of a large virus.

-Predatory Viruses-
Anaconda-F: 200 HP [Head is behind Segment 1. Segment 2 is to the right of the Head.]
WhomperEXA: 130 HP
WhomperEXB: 130 HP
WhomperEXC: 130 HP
ShadowA: 80 HP
ShadowB: 80 HP

-More Hospitable Terrain-
100% Soil

-Delicious Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 240HP
Blub.SP: 80HP

~Battle 6: Start!!~

Hmm...nah. It looked like it for a sec, but that ash cloud didn't really look like a Mettaur anymore. SplashMan sighed (somehow), noting that with the giant bird gone, it was back to the relative silence. He couldn't even talk to Sabrina to break it up. Sure, he could talk to Blub, but he couldn't talk back. Still, it was better than nothing..."You know, this is a pretty big place, considering this is supposed to be the Net area of a single abandoned island...though, it's weird. Why would this place even still have an internet connection? I know they used to have tournaments here in the past, but now it's basically just here for the heck of it...although, now that I think about it, I remember hearing that this place once served as a direct connection to the Undernet. Makes sense that they'd maintain it in that case. We don't want those Omega viruses sneaking around the main Net!"

...No answer. Sigh. He was pretty sure that Blub was listening, but there wasn't a whole lot he could respond with. Just that hissing noise and him pointing angrily forward...wait, hissing noise? The aquatic Navi looked up, to find a rather large snake virus, alongside some Shadows, and some odd looking Whompers. Considering how far he was in, it was safe to guess that they were EX versions. Normally, such a group would be a non-issue for him, but Sabrina still wasn't back...all he could really do was continue to hang in there until she got back, he supposed. But first, he had orders to make. "Blub! I don't think there's a lot you can do here, so hang back and avoid stuff that comes your way!" The jellyfish saluted his master with a tentacle, and immediately began to focus on the enemies, to avoid whatever shadowy weapon, magma breath, or...whatever the Anaconda did, dared throw at him.

As he was prone to do, SplashMan started filling up his cannons with water, and pointed them at one of the upgraded doll viruses...but, unlike usual, he only fired a single cannon at it, though the powerful stream would still be more than enough to wipe it off the face of the Net. He repeated on another Whomper, this time using his left cannon to try and douse the enemy. There was still the matter of the third, though...he again start to build up water and water pressure in his weapons of choice, but before it was completely set, he lowered his cannons to shoulder level once more, and fired at half power. Again, it wasn't the full strength version, but a Fire virus of that level definitely couldn't withstand a direct hit of it.

That left the Anaconda and the Shadows unaccounted for. He knew the latter would be hard to hit without any bladed weapons, so he elected to save them for the last...which left the giant, fiery snake. Its body was blocking the vulnerable head area, and he didn't have chips...but he still had a way to hit it, without even taking a step. Aiming right at the body the head was behind, he started to, once again, fill up his cannons with water, and build up as much pressure as he could muster. He them launched twin orbs at the large virus, which, on impact, would explode, and add a nice, big pool to the area. More importantly, it wasn't so big a target that that sort of explosion wouldn't reach the most prone area of it...

EIther way, even at the best of circumstances, he had a pair of angry blobs of darkness to contend with. At worst, he'd have other 'friends' to deal with, too. Which meant it was time for that most sacred of traditions: sidestepping whatever he could to reduce the amount of pain inflicted on him.

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
0a-Reserve Tank R (passive buster charge)
1-Water Splash half-charge shot on WhomperEXC (100, Aqua, Break)
1a-Reserve Tank L (passive buster charge)
2-Water Splash half-charge shot on WhomperEXA (100, Aqua, Break)
3-Charge buster
4-Water Splash half-charge shot on WhomperEXB (100, Aqua, Break)
5-Flood Cannon sig attack on Anaconda-F (100, Blast 3, Large Area Sea Terrain Change) (9 TCD)
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge]

SplashMan fills his tanks and shoots out two of the Whompers, who fall to the ground extinguished. The last one however, rises into the "ceiling" portal and disappears just as SplashMan launches his third water cannon attack. So it is no surprise when he misses.

The fiery Anaconda breathes fire from its head, which passes through the segment directly in front of it, and bathes the two aqua viruses in flames. Even though both dodge, especially Blub who was really concentrating on dodging, both are hit and take a solid chunk of fire damage. But then the Anaconda is drowned by SplashMan's Flood Cannon attack and is no more.

Finally the Shadows move forward to attack. Treading water, they both slash the air in front of them, creating a penetrating energy shockwave. This time however, both Navi and SP dodge the attacks.

-Predatory Viruses-
Anaconda-F: DELETED
Whomper EXA: DELETED
WhomperEXB: 130 HP [Disappeared!]
WhomperEXC: DELETED
ShadowA: 80 HP [Sea]
ShadowB: 80 HP [Sea]

-More Hospitable Terrain-
70% Soil
30% Sea

-Delicious Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 190HP [Sea]
Blub.SP: 30HP [Sea]

SplashMan, for lack of a better expression, shook his head, having been nailed by a fireball. A look at his SP revealed that he'd also been hit by it. That was decidedly more worrisome to him. "Hang in there, Blub! I think I can get everything else, but it's gonna be tricky..." Hitting an incorporeal virus, however, was easier said than done. Was it even possible? He knew swords could do it without a problem, but just plain water...even though it was incredibly powerful, could that alone do the trick? Well, maybe if-wait, why was he getting a warm, fuzzy feeling all of a sudden? He knew this feeling...but what was it...oh, right. It was how he felt whenever he got a recovery chip. Cool.

...Waaaait a minute...

"I'm...back!...Lungs...collapsing..." It had taken a while, but Sabrina was finally back in Hades...for a certain measure of back. She was too busy sucking in air to make any snarky comments about SplashMan handling himself. Still, she knew enough to check the battle situation. "6? Nice!..." She stopped as her body noticed that she was doing something besides inhaling, and made her continue.

"About time! I was starting to wonder if you'd ever come back!" He was just kidding, of course. The aquatic Navi gave the viruses another look, looking even confident than he did before, himself. "You see what I've got left, so can you send me something? A sword would be nice..."

"Yep..." Fortunately, all that running didn't affect her hands, and that meant that sending chips was a non-factor in that department. "BattleChip...AquaSword!...Slot in!..." Announcing what she sent, on the other hand...

SplashMan's right hand vanished, and immediately replaced by a glowing light blue blade. He raced over as fast as his feet could take him, which was, of course, just quick enough that he could outrun such speedy Navis as SnailMan and TurtleMan. Assuming they even existed, of course. But while his foot speed wasn't great, his attack speed was significantly better, as in the blink of an eye (at least one that blinked very slowly), he delivered two horizontal slashes with his water-powered sword, to try and wipe out the literally shadowy foes. His gaze then shifted skyward, and looked for any portals, especially ones that produced lava spewing dolls. He just needed to be patient, and wait for it to descend...

...There! Now he just had to-

"Quick!...Before it can...strike!...BattleChip, Area...Grab! Slot in!" ...At least she was recovering.

In the blink of an eye (a properly fast one this time), the water tank Navi vanished from his spot, relocating directly behind the re-emerged Whomper. He slashed downward with his sword, to try and cleave the virus clean in two. He didn't even try to stop its momentum, and let it crash on the floor below, causing it to shatter into pieces. How soft soil and water caused it to crash, was another story entirely...but eh, as long as he struck true, he really didn't care.

And neither did Blub, even as he prepared to avoid any shadowy swords and magma breath...he probably preferred that everything be cut up before he even had to worry about it.

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-Recover150 chip on SplashMan (150, S, Recovery)
2-AquaSword chip attack on ShadowA and ShadowB (80+15, Aqua, B, Slashing, Wide Attack)
3-AquaSword chip attack on ShadowA and ShadowB (80+15, Aqua, B, Slashing, Wide Attack)
4-Wait for WhomperEXB to descend
5-AreaGrab chip on SplashMan (S, Teleport) (Teleport Target: Behind WhomperEXB)
6-AquaSword chip attack on WhomperEXB (80+15, Aqua, B, Slashing, Wide Attack)]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-Dodge
2-Dodge
3-Dodge]

SplashMan, now with battlechips, healed and diced the Shadows. Then the WhomperEX descended from the heavens and breathed a gout of magma as it was sliced. Blub managed to backpedal out of range.

-Predatory Viruses-
Anaconda-F: DELETED
Whomper EXA: DELETED
WhomperEXB: DELETED
WhomperEXC: DELETED
ShadowA: DELETED
ShadowB: DELETED

-More Hospitable Terrain-
70% Soil
20% Sea
10% Lava

-Delicious Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 340HP [Sea]
Blub.SP: 30HP [Sea]

~Battle 6: Victory!!~
Rewards: HeatBreath1, 1050z, 36 BugFrags

"And that's that!" Once the last virus was dealt with, SplashMan's hand reformed, and immediately dusted himself off...even though he could've easily just taken a quick dip in the water. He then accessed all the remaining data, what with it being one of the main reasons he was even there. "There's Whomper data in there...so I guess we got HeatBreath! We don't have the regular version yet, do we?"

"The library says no, so that's another one!" Also, more money. What more could a girl want? Aside, from, you know, not being such a giant nerd. "So, you wanna keep going? We can always take a break, since we have Bookmarks now!"

"Well, I'm fine, but..." The water tank Navi looked over at his SP, who still looked a bit burnt from the earlier fireball. He was trying to cool it off with the water, but that just made it sting. "Blub's kinda hurt. It happened right before you got back..."

"Oh, is that all?" This called for the power of SubChips!...Just not the previously mentioned one. "This oughta fix him up!"

And just like that, Blub's injury was non-existant. He waved happily at the screen containing his master's master, giving silent thanks for the fact he didn't feel like he was on fire anymore. "I guess that settles that. Let's keep going, Blub!"

And so they journied onward, into territory that not too many Navis could say they beared witness to...

(Searching for Battle #7; using MiniEnergy on Blub)

The Navi and his SP came upon a bridge spanning a large stream of lava. The ground was hot and giving off a heavy cloud of smoke. Three Gaia viruses stood on the bridge in front of them. A pair of Volcano and HeatJelly viruses erupted from the lava on either side of the bridge.

-Viruses-
GaiaA: 100HP [Stonebody] [Furnace]
GaiaB: 100HP [Stonebody] [Furnace]
GaiaC: 100HP [Stonebody] [Furnace]
VolcanoA: 110HP [Lava] [Right Side]
VolcanoB: 110HP [Lava] [Left Side]
HeatJellyA: 220HP [Lava] [Right Side]
HeatJellyB: 220HP [Lava] [Left Side]

-Terrain-
20% Furnace [Bridge]
80% Lava

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 340HP [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Furnace]

~Battle 7: Start!!~

A bridge in Hades Area...it seemed kinda familiar to SplashMan, even though he was pretty sure he'd never seen such a thing before. Also, it had viruses in many a direction. Ones you didn't see every day, too. Neat. "I guess you're up again, Blub! It might be tricky, but I think you can take them out before they can really get going!"

"Yeah...Fire enemies on lava? Against a water specialist? I guess they want a suicide by jellyfish!" But, first things first...the all-encompassing goal of library expansion. "Before we get started for real, let's see what ridiculous way we can try and steal something now! BattleChip, PickPocket! Slot in!"

SplashMan's somewhat steady Bandcoon companion materialized in front of him, and gave a salute as it scouted the area. To the left, viruses in lava. To the right, viruses in lava. In the middle, viruses not in lava. Looked simple enough...almost TOO simple. To that end, it whipped out what appeared to be a gun, pointed it to its right, and shot out...some sort of grappling hook. It landed right in the Volcano's peak, then, after a good yank, was returned, along with some sort of data chunk. As always, however, before the Navi could get a good look, the pseudovirus had it locked in some sort of object...in this case, a suitcase, which wouldn't open until after the battle. As enigmatically as it concealed its spoils, the Bandcoon vanished without a trace. One of these days, he was going to have to ask why it always did that.

But it would have to be some other time, as even before the burglar disappeared, his operator was already working out how to destroy the foes before them. "First, we'll handle the Fire based enemies, since, well, duh. BattleChip, WideShot2! Double slot in!"

Two blue orbs appeared, each one in one of the aquatic Navi's hands. He tossed them at his equally aquatic SP, who absorbed them...then raised two of his tentacles, which inexplicably now resembled pendulums. Not the kind used in clocks, of course, but the kind that could slice people in two. Instead of slowly moving back and both, however, he simply extended a tentacle, to crash it into the port viruses...and the starboard viruses. Or was it the starboard, then the port? Why did sailors have to do that instead of just plain left and right? Ahh.

Sabrina's lack of a headache made it pretty clear that she wasn't pondering such deep questions, and instead was content to add another weapon to the cyberarsenal. "Gaia can be tricky if you don't have the right kind of chips...but, not only do we have one, we have one that can smash 'em all at once! BattleChip, Shake3! Slot in!"

SplashMan materialized a Heaviest virus, which appeared right in front of Blub, who had since returned his tentacles to normal length and sharpness. With a bit of effort, he picked the dumbbell up, and flung it with all of his might...just to the left of the Gaia trio. With most chips, this would be a definite problem, but fortunately for the SP, Shake was another beast. Instead of sailing into the lava, the third tier pseudovirus stopped and hovered before it fell into the boiling liquid rock below, before lining itself up with the armored enemies, and attempted to slam itself into them, in a single, devestating blow.

Realizing that the jellyfish would be spent after that last attack, the Navi reached over, and picked his SP up. He wasn't sure how well he could avoid attacks with Blub on him, but he was sure going to find out if something went amok...

[SplashMan Order of Turn:
1-PickPocket chip attack on VolcanoA (B, steals reward data from one virus)
2-Send WideShot2 chip to Blub
3-Send WideShot2 chip to Blub
4-Send Shake3 chip to Blub
5-Pick up Blub off the ground
6-Dodge]

[Blub Order of Turn:
1-WideShot2 chip attack on VolcanoA and HeatJellyA (80+10, A, Aqua, Wide Attack)
2-WideShot2 chip attack on VolcanoB and HeatJellyB (80+10, A, Aqua, Wide Attack)
3-Shake3 chip attack on GaiaA, GaiaB, and GaiaC (130, C, Break, Wide Attack, hits again next turn at half accuracy)]

Even through the haze of steam, Blub could find his marks. The first crescent-shaped blade slashed into the Volcano and HeatJelly on the right, or starboard, side of the bridge. The explosion of smog ended with the deletion of the Volcanos and HeatJellys. The left, or port, side of the bridge has a similar outcome. The normal terrain that was made where the viruses were located were quickly converted into lava as the river flowed over the dry spots.

The Gaias also begin to advance with hammers drawn as Blub picks up and tosses a heavy Shake3 at them. The heavyset shatters through the defenses of one of the three, deleting it, but misses the other two. It remains on the field to try again next turn.

The Gaias swing their mighty hammers at the duo, as Blub is picked up by SplashMan. Both hammers miss though, by a combination of luck and dodging prowess.

-Viruses-
GaiaA: DELETED
GaiaB: 100HP [Stonebody] [Furnace]
GaiaC: 100HP [Stonebody] [Furnace]
VolcanoA: DELETED
VolcanoB: DELETED
HeatJellyA: DELETED
HeatJellyB: DELETED

-Terrain-
20% Furnace [Bridge]
80% Lava

-Allies-
SplashMan.EXE: 340HP [Furnace]
Blub.SP: 80HP [Furnace]
Shake3: [1 Turn]

[Pickpocket: FireBomb1]